Door pillar and the like



Nov. 8, 1932, 1. D. PERRY y DOOR PILLARl AND THE LIKE Filed sem- 1s. 1951 2 Smets-sheet 1 @ff-W /Y Nov. 8, 1932.

l. D. PERRY DOOR PILLAR AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 16, '1931 2 sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 8, 1932 UNITED IRA n PERRY, or CII-renee, ILLINOIS, AssIeNon ro Enna L. MEYER, or nocixnonn, ILLINOIS nooit ILLAii Ann TIIELIKE This invention has to do with improvements in door pillars and the like for automobile bodies; These door pillars are built into and constitute a portionl of the automobile i3 body and establish a portion of the door frame against which'the lswinging portion of the door comes into Contact when the door is closed.v In other words thedoor pillar is located at the locking or latching edge porl tion' ofthe door.

Furthermore in the case of a great majority of automobile bodies constructed there are provided two doors at each side of the body, and the door pillar is located between these doors and it forms' the portion of the body located at such point.l In such case both of the doors swing towards and latch or loclito this common door pillar. l

l It is also customary to provide the door pillar with a rabbeted or recessedoutwardly facing' ledge portion whichv establishes a ledge facing outwardly towards* the exterior of the body and towardsthe door.4 Likewise the edge portionof the door itself is provided with' im inwardly' facing' i-iibbetedor iii-age portion which is a companion to that of the door pillar, so that when the door is closed these twoy companion edge portions seatrtogethe'r or in close proximity to ,each other. In other words; the door pillar has a ledge sr'irfa'ce which faces outwardly in the direction of door closing movement and the door pillar also has' an inwardly extending' flange surface at the door side of the pillar and whichL lies parallel to the direction of door closing movement. Generally also the door pillar is provided with an outwardly extend-v ing flange surface lying parallel tothe direc tion of door' closing movement. Theedge 40 portion of each door is provided with companion surfaces including" a ledge facing also in vthe direction of door closing" movement and which approaches the corresponding ledge of the door pillar when t-lie door is closed. l

Generally speaking' it may be stated that the door pillar is of T-shape'd cross section in the c'as'e of automobile bodies having' two doors closing against an intermediate pilla-r', 5 and is' of L-shapedcross section in' the case of automobile bodieslhaving only a single door' 'closing against the pillar.

It is also Customary io proviaeaie door pillarrwith `one Yor more,bumperl blockson the ledge V`which faces in the direction door closing movement, said bumper blocksb'eiiig of resilient material such as rubber or the like. the pastit has been customary to provide the door pillar with a socket oli' recesswhich is cut intoor reaches into `both the ledge and the inner or linwardly extending flange whereby saidsoc'lfet ,or recess yhas exposures both towardsthe direction of door closing niovementon the ledge surface and also parallel' to the direction off doorm'c'losing movement in the flange surface. In the fast it has been customary toset the resi ient bumper block into such socket or recess, said bumper block being of proper size andfornIatio'n toextend beyond the ledge surface towardsthe companion door surface and to extendwbeyond the flange surfacer as to provide' a wiping yportionv against which the companion portiony of the door will engage when the door is closed. n A y The foregoing arrangement i'sfobje'ctionable for the reason among` other things that the'k cutting or recessing of the ledge surface at thepositon of the bumper block makes it impossible to directly' support the bumper block ai iliaiiocaiieii so that if b-eeiiiesiiecessary. to' make' other or supp'lem'entall yrovision for suppertingyA the b ul'np'lei"blfofc"` ,and sustaining it against the' shocks and forces incident tothe door' closing operation. Such g5 supplemental supporting means involves addi ional parts orl operations of manufacture with corresponding added expense and possil'jility of derangementvn Service. y

The' 'main' object of the( present invention is to provide a sheet metal door pillar which is so formed as to provide the ledge' facing in the direction of door closing vmo,ve'r'innit, andalso the inwardly and outwardlyfeitending flanges lyingp'arallel to the direc.- tionv of door closingrmovement sind tov priovide AsheetV metal door pillar: with Opern ings iii the @inwardly extending aange arg1- jacent to the' position" ofy the' ledge, aiid some cases to also provide openings in' the inwardly extending flange in transverse alignment with said first mentioned openings; all of which openings are so formed as to receive companion portions of the bumper block itself to retain the bumper block securely in place on the door pillar'. In each case the arrangement of the openings in the door pillar is such as to leave the ledge which faces in the direction of door closing movement uncut and unperforated to thereby establish a large supporting surface for the head portion of the bumper block. In each case this supporting surface is of substantially the full area or size of the head portion looking in the direction of door closing movement so that the entire pressure and shock on the head of the bumper block incident to the door closing operation is transmitted directly through the resilient material of the bumper block to the pressure and shock resisting ledge portion of the door pillar.

A further desirable result of this arrangement is that the strength and stiffness of the door pillar is maintained at a maximum amount consistent with the necessary attachment of the bumper block to the pillar since the opening or openings at the interior angle and/0r inwardly extending flange need be only of such size as is required to receive the lug or lugs by means of which the bumper block is held in place; it being unnecessary to provide a socket or recess of the full size of the body portion of the bumper block.

In some cases it is also the present practise to provide a filler of wood or the like for all or a portion of the door pillar so as to stiffen and reinforce the same. In such cases the sheet metal serves as a finishing plate or sheathing for such wooden pillar. In the case of this type of construction the wooden or other filler may be suitably socketed or recessed at the proper position corresponding to the lugs whereby the bumper block is secured in place.

A further advantage of the type of construction herein disclosed is the fact that the openings in the sheet metal door pillar can be readily formed by punching or other operations at the same time that the sheet metal is folded into the form of the door pillar or by operations incidental thereto so that the entire door pillar construction including the means for attaching the bumper blocks in place is produced at a minimum of cost and with a minimum number of operations and without the necessity of using welding or other objectionable manufacturing operations.

Another feature of the present invention relates to the provision of means for adjusting the elevation of the contacting surface of the head portion of the bumper block with respect to the ledge of the door pillar so that the position thereof can be brought into a proper condition of adjustment from time to time in order to ensure proper Contact of the edge portion of the door against same. Such adjustment may be desirable for various reasons including the wear or change of thickness of the head portion of the bumper block in service, or may be due to warping or change of adjustment of the door itself with respect to the position of the door pillar. In the present case this adjustment of the head portion of the bumper block is produced by shimming the same with respect to the ledge of the door pillar as distinguished from other types of construction in which the entire bumper block is bodily shifted or adjusted with respect to the door pillar.

More specifically, the above mentioned adjustment is produced by supporting the end portions of the head of the bumper block with respect to the outwardly extending flange, so that the central portion of said head can be forced upwardly away from the ledge the desired amount, at the same time deflecting the head portion of the bumper block into a slightly curved form. In this connection it is a further feature to attach the ends of the head portion to the outwardly extending flange by means of lugs or enlargements engaging suitably positioned holes in the flange, said holes being so formed as to permit the necessary bending action above referred to with-out cutting or otherwise injuring the material of the bumper block.

Still another feature of the invention relates to the provision of a sheet metal door pillar having its ledge portion and the adjacent iange portions so formed as to provide a depressed or concave recess into which the suitably formed head portion of the bumper block seats. Due to this arrangement the head portion of the bumper block is provided with an extra thickness of resilient material so that an improved bufng and shock resisting action is produced. Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a detailed description of the same which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure l shows a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of an automobile body having applied thereto a door pillar embodying the features of the present invention, the construction illustrated being that in which both doors work against a common T-shaped door pillar, both of the doors being opened so as to better illustrate the construction of the door pillar itself;

Figure 2 shows a fragmentary horizontal section through a T-shaped door pillar embodying the features of the present invention together with the adjacent portions of the two doors, said doors being closed;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of a struction;

Figures to 9 inclusive show short perspective views of port1ons of five different l forms of sheet metal door pillars each embodying the features of-the present invention;

Figure shows a short perspective view of a portion of another different form of sheet metal door pillar embodying the features of the present invention.

Figure 11 shows a section -on the line 11-11 of Figure 10 looking in the directionof the` arrows; and

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, thefsame illustrate a typical application of the embodiment of the present invention. In this case the door pillar is designated in its entirety by the numeral 15. It is located intermediate between the front and the rear door openings 16 and 17 respectively and serves the doors of both of these openings. A portion of the rear door 18 is shown in Figure 1 and portions of both of the doors are shown at 18 and 19 in Figure 2.

As shown in Figure 2 the door pillar 15 is of sheet metal including the cross plate portion 20, the two outwardly extending flanges 21 and 22 lying in the direction of door closing movement, the two ledges 23 and 24 facing in the direction of door closing movement and the two inwardly facing flanges 25 and 26 lying parallelr to the direction of door closing movement. The swinging edge portions of the doors 18 and 19 are provided with ledges 27 and 28 respectively which face in the direction of door closing movement and directly `approach the door pillar ledges 23 and 24.

As a matteil of convenience a U-shaped sheet metal plate 29 has its flanges seated between flanges 25 and 26 of the door pillar at the body side thereof; and a filler block 30 of wood or the like is placed into the channel 29. The fabric 31 is then readily secured to the filler block 30 and the lips 32 and 33 at the edges of said fabric 31 overlie the flanges-25 and 26 of the door pillar and thus establish sealing lips through which the inner corners of the doors 18 and 19 seat and seal when the doors are closed.

Generally also fthe outer1 edges of the doors are provided with the overhanging lips 34 and 35 at the swinging edges of the doors so that said lips approach the door pillar and cover over the clearances between the edges of the doors and the outwardly extending flanges of the door pillar.V

In the construction illustrated I have shown L-shaped bumper blocks 36 and: 37 as being mounted upon ythe two sides ofithe door pillar in position tov receive contact by the edge portions of the doors when they are closed.

ach of these bumper blocks includes a head portion 38 which seats against the ledge 23 or 24 as the case' may be and a lip or skirt 39 which seats against an inwardly extending door pillar flange 25 or 26 as the case may be.

Referring to Figures 5 to 11 inclusive, the same show fragmentary perspective views of portions of typical door pillar constructions showing the manner in which the same are perforated or provided with lattaching portions of the bumper blocks. In the construction of Figure 5 the outwardly extending flange 22 of the door pillar is provided with a. pair of openings 40 and 41 close to the surface of the door pillar ledge 24 and the in wardly extending flange 26 of the door pillar is provided with an opening 42 substantially in transverse alignment with the openings I just referred to. The head portion 38 of the bumper block 37 is provided with inwardly extending hooked lugs 43 which extend through the'openings 40 and 42 respectively to engage the back or inside face of the flange 22 in locking fashion; and the lip or skirt 37 of the bumper block is provided with an inwardly extending hooked lug 44 which reaches through the opening 42 to the back or inside face of the flange 26 and engages the same. Accordingly both the head and skirt portions of the bumper block are securely connected to the flanges of the door pillar by engaging said hooked lugs through the openings of the door pillar. At the same time the ledge 24' of the pillar is entirely uncut and is provided with a full and continuous lsupporting surface for the head portion of the bumper block. y

In the modified construction of Figure 6 there is provided' only a single opening 45 in the-flange 22 at a position close to the ledge 24 and the flange 26 is provided with a single opening 42 as inthe previous construction. Theopenings 45 and 42 are engaged by suitable hook shaped lugs formed on the head and skirt portions of the bumper block in a manner similar to that already explained.

The construction shown in Figure 7 is similar to that of Figure 5. However7 in the present case the two openings 40a and 41a formed in the outwardly extending flange 22 are corresponding to the openings 40 and 41 of the form shown in Figure 5 are tapered with respect to the surface of the ledge 24 so that the adjacent portions of said openings are deeper measured in a direction at right angles to the ledge than their more distantly separated. portions. As a consequence it is possible to deflect the central part of the head u portion of the bumper block outwardly from the ledge 24 by forcing shims between said ledge and said head portions, the central portion oflthe head being ythus deflected outwardly and carrying with it the adjacent portions of the two lugs. When using this feature in connection with bumper blocks having the lip or skirt which lies against the 'flange 25 the opening 42 may also be defiected outwardly as shown in Figure 7 to permit of such shimming movement; or the hooked lug may be formed with sudicient clearance in the opening 42 to permit of the necessary amount of shimming adjustment.

It will be observed that in each of the arrangements of Figures 5, 6, and the material of the flange 22 is completely cut away at the positions of the openings therein. In the case of the construction of Figure 8 there are provided two openings b and 41" in the flange 22; but in this case these openings are formed by stamping the metal of the flange 22 backwardly in suoli manner as to establish lugs or ears at the back side of the flange together with outwardly facing openings through the flange to the positions of said ears so that the suitably formed lugs on the head portion of the bumper block can be extended through said openings.

In the modihed form of Figure 9 the ledge 24 and the adjacent portions of the flanges and 26 of the door pillar are so treated as to establish the concave socket oi recess 46 facing in the direction of door closing movement and adapted to receive a correspondingly formed seating surface of the head portion of the bumper block. Preferably also the adjacent portions of the flanges 22 and 2G are perforated as shown at and 42 respectively to receive companion hooked lugs or the head and skirt portions of the bumper block respectively. Itis noted that with this type of construction the forces and shocks incident to the door closing operation will tend to seat the bumper block head. more perfectly into this recess 46 so as'to keep the saine firmly centered and located therein. Furthermore this recess arrangement makes it possible to use a bumper block head of thicker proportions than would otherwise be possible with corresponding increase of resiliency and improved operation.

In the modified arrangement of Figures l0 and 11 the metal of the outwardly extending flange 22 is pressed inwardly at a point adjacent to the ledge 24 establishing a backwardly reachingl seat 47 which is open at ends 48 and 49 as clearly shown in FiE 'e l0. In this construction there is also provided the opening 42 in the flange 26 in transverse alignment with said seat. lith this type of construction the head portion of the bumper block is provided with an extension which occupies the seat 47 and provided with lugs which extend through the openings 4S and 49 so as to lock said extension in place with respect to the flange 22. Vith this construction also the skirt may be provided with an inwardly extending hooked lug to reach through the opening 42 of the flange 26 and engage the back face thereof.

In the construction shown in Figures 2 and 3 the filler block 8O does not reach far enough over to interfere with the inwardly extending hooked lugs on the lips or skirts of the bumper blocks. In the modified construction of Figure 4 the filler block 50 completely fills the space within the sheet metal door pillar so that said filler block should be properly recessed at the positions where the lugs of the bumper block extend through the sheet metal in order to permit proper engagement of the parts.

While I have herein shown and described only certain embodiments of the features of my present invention still I do not intend to limit myself thereto except as I may do so in the claims.

I claim:

l. A pillar for an `automobile body comprising a sheet metal member bent to provide a rabbet portion of angular cross-section, and inwardly and outwardly projecting flange portions extending from opposite sides of the rabbet portion substantially at right angles to each other, the rabbet portion comprising a ledge substantially at right angles to the inwardly projecting flange and facing in the direction of door closing movement, and a back wall substantially at right angles to the outwardly projecting flange, the ledge being in'iperforate but formed to provide a transverse depression adapted to receive a bumper block extending across the ledge, one of the walls of said pillar adjacent the ledge having an opening provided therein in a predetermined relation to the end of the depression to permit fastening the bumper block to the pillar by means on the end of the bumper block entering the opening.

' 2. A pillar for an automobile body comprising a sheet metal member bent to provide a rabbet portion of angular' cross-section, and inwardly and outwardly projecting flange portions extending from opposite sides of the rabbet portion substantially at right angles to each other, the rabbet portion comprising a ledge substantially at right angles to the inwardly projecting flange and facing in the direction of door closing movement, and a back wall substantially at right angles to the outwardly projecting fiange, the ledge being imperforate but formed to provide a transverse depression adapted to receive bumper block extending across the ledge, the two walls of the pillar adjacent the ledge having openings provided therein in a predetcrn'iined relation to opposite ends of the depression to permit fastening the bumper block to the pillar by means on the ends of the bumper lock entering the openings.

3. A pillar for an automobile body comprising a sheet metal member bent to provide a rabbet portion of angular cross-section, and

van LAD inwardly and outwardly projecting iange portions extending from opposite sides of the rabbet portion substantially at right angles to each other, the rabbet portion comprising a ledge substantially at right angles to the inwardly projecting flange and facing in the direction of door closing movement, and a back wall substantially at right angles to the outwardly projecting flange, said ledge being imperforate but formed to provide a transverse depression reaching from the back wall of the rabbet to the inwardlyl projecting flange, the opposite sides of said depression being sloped so that the depression is deepest at the middle, said depression being adapted to receive a bumper Vblock having sloping surfaces to fit the sloping sides of the depression, and the back wall and inwardly projecting flange having openings provided therein adjacent opposite ends of the depression in a plane passing lengthwise through the middle of the depression transversely relative to the ledge to permit fastening the bumper block to the pillar by means on the ends of the block at the middle thereof entering the openings.

4. A pillar for an automobile body comprising a sheet metal member bent to provide a rabbet portion of angular cross-section, and inwardly and outwardly projecting iange portions extending from opposite sides of the rabbet portion substantially at right angles to each other, the rabbet portion comprising a wall at right angles to one of the aforesaid flanges, and another wall at right angles to the other of said flanges, one of said walls being formed to provide a depression adapted to receive a buffer block facing in the direction of door closing movement, and one of the flanges of the pillar having an opening provided therein in a predetermined relation to said depression to permit fastening the buffer block to the pillar by means on an adjoining face of the block entering said opening.V

5. A pillar for an automobile body comprising a sheet metal member formed to provide an impact ledge and a side flange, the impact ledge being formed so as to provide a transverse depression as an integral part of the pillar member at `the position of the bumper block, the opposite sides of said depression being sloped toward each other, said depression being adapted to receive one of the two angularly related portions of a substantially L-shaped bumper block of resilient material extending across said ledge and having sloping surfaces to t the sloping sides of the depression, and the side flange having an opening provided therein at the position of the bumper block, the other portion of the block being adapted to overlie the opening in the side flange and being adapted to be anchored to the pillar member in said IRA D. PERRY.

opening. 

